Chương 34: Apparently, One Card Is Not Gambling

The first morning at the Iron Junction Camp began exactly the same way every other morning began. Matt woke up in Trailer C-87. He made a cup of coffee. He applied Perfect Temperature. He pulled his remaining raw materials from the storage bins and moved through his established daily crafting batch. Vital Imprint. Elemental Ward. Quickened Temper. Weighted Edge. He listed the finished gear on the National Market, logged the expected profit in his ledger, and closed the laptop. There was no hesitation.

No meticulous gear-swapping. No agonizing over resistance caps or emergency flasks. He opened his planner to review his goals for the day. IRON JUNCTION — FIRST RUN Goal: Learn monster density. Test clear speed. Confirm Card drops. Boss — NO Fortune's Harness — NO Stay dry — EXPECTED Matt looked at the final objective.

"Still my favorite objective." He checked his current Status. LEVEL 16 Life: 650 Mana: 136 Physical Damage Reduction: 69% Block Chance: 24% Fire Resistance: 75% (+5% Over Cap) Cold Resistance: 66% Lightning Resistance: 75% (+1% Over Cap) Passive Points: 1 He didn't spend the Passive Point. He still didn't know if Iron Junction demanded more Area of Effect, more Life, or if the Mana bottleneck from Gravetide would follow him here.

"Test first," Matt told himself. He glanced at the desk drawer. Fortune's Harness remained in the drawer. For once, there wasn't even an argument. Yesterday, he had confirmed through the community forums that Divination Cards operated on an entirely separate drop table. Packing an Item Rarity belt into a dungeon specifically famous for card farming was statistically pointless. He opened his dungeon bag to do a final check. Portal Scrolls. Flasks. Spare socks. Matt stared at the clean, neatly folded cotton socks.

Iron Junction was renowned for being completely dry. He was hundreds of miles away from the flooded Turbine Chambers.

"Unnecessary." He zipped the bag closed, leaving them inside.

"Insurance." The Gate Plaza at Iron Junction was a completely different animal than Cinderfall or Gravetide. It wasn't just crowded; it was highly organized. There were solo Delvers pacing near the terminals, organized Guild parties running last-minute gear checks, and dedicated card farmers traveling incredibly light to maximize their inventory space. Matt walked up to an open terminal and scanned the Instance board.

Instance 812 — 46/64 — Boss Alive Instance 813 — 61/64 — Boss Defeated Instance 814 — 27/64 — Boss Alive Instance 815 — 53/64 — Boss Alive"… Busy," Matt murmured. He didn't want an empty Instance, and he didn't want a crowded one. If there were too few people, the monster density might overwhelm him in an unfamiliar layout. If there were too many, he would spend half his time racing other Delvers for packs. He selected Instance 814.

"Twenty-seven. Enough people to be civilized. Enough monsters to be useful." He stepped through the portal. The transition deposited him inside a massive, subterranean freight terminal. The ceiling was incredibly high, crisscrossed with heavy steel girders and pale, industrial Mana lighting. The floor was covered in rusted rail lines, abandoned cargo train cars, and wide concrete loading platforms. It was dark, industrial, and heavily weathered. Matt looked down. The concrete floor was dry. He took a step forward.

His Boot struck the ground cleanly. He took another step.

"… Perfect." There was no crackling electrical telegraph on the floor. There were no magma fissures. Nothing immediately tried to turn the floor into an attack. He raised his Foundry Longsword and moved forward. A sharp, metallic screech echoed from the other side of an abandoned freight car. Six small, jagged humanoids scrambled onto the tracks. They were wielding rusted tools and short, serrated blades. RAIL GOBLIN They didn't try to flank him with military precision. They didn't cast ranged spells.

They just charged in a direct, screeching mob. Matt didn't even trigger Quick Frame. The telegraph was obvious. He stepped into the center of their path. Cleave. The Multistrike sequence took over. SLASH. SLASH. SLASH. With the 2. 1-meter Area of Effect from his Passive Tree, the red arcs caught the first four Goblins instantly. They shattered into dust before they could even initiate a swing. The remaining two Goblins skidded to a halt, momentarily staggered by the sudden evaporation of their pack.

Matt stepped forward. Heavy Strike on the first. A single, standard Cleave on the second. The encounter was over in less than three seconds. Matt stood perfectly still, his sword slightly lowered. He checked his Mana bar. Barely scratched. He checked his Life. Full. He checked the floor. Still dry.

"… That's it?" It wasn't that the Dungeon was weak. The Goblins hit hard enough to demand respect from a Level 16. But his build was violently, almost perfectly tailored to counter them. They wanted to swarm; he wanted a dense target for his area-of-effect Skills. A few small Mana Stones and some minor Currency dropped. No Cards. Matt scooped up the loot and kept walking. He rounded the corner of the freight car.

Waiting on the next loading platform were five armored Skeletons holding rusted swords, accompanied by a heavy, mechanical canine construct. YARD SKELETON SWITCH HOUND The Switch Hound immediately dropped its head and charged in a straight, high-speed line. Matt triggered Quick Frame. He saw the trajectory perfectly. He took one smooth step to the right, letting the Hound sail past him and crash heavily into the side of the steel freight car. He didn't wait for it to recover.

He stepped onto the loading platform directly into the center of the Skeleton pack. Cleave. Multistrike. Six enemies entered the arc. Very few left it. He turned and finished the dazed Switch Hound with a Heavy Strike. Matt felt a sudden, profound shift in his operational rhythm. In Cinderfall, combat was a tactical retreat from fire. In Gravetide, combat was a waiting game against electrified water. Here, the rhythm was pure throughput. Kill. Move. Kill. Move.

"…Oh." Another pack of Goblins rounded the far side of the platform, screeching loudly. Matt raised his sword.

"I like this." Thirty minutes later, Matt carved his way through his fourth massive pack of monsters. The Foundry Longsword shattered the final Yard Skeleton into glowing ash. A small pile of loot materialized on the dry concrete. Mana Stones. A rusted sword base. And a single, thin, translucent crystalline plate.

"…Card." Matt walked over and picked it up. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. THE EMPTY CAR Divination Card Set Size: 3 Reward: Random Normal E-rank Base Item Current Set: 1 / 3 Matt stared at the Card. He remembered Gus's buy board from yesterday. The Empty Car — $24.

"…Twenty-four dollars." He looked at the small pile of ash where the Yard Skeleton had been standing.

"From a Skeleton." He didn't need to consult a spreadsheet. He didn't need to factor in the opportunity cost of Crafting Currency. A random trash mob had just dropped an item that he could immediately, unconditionally sell for twenty-four dollars cash.

"Okay." Matt slipped the Card into his secure pouch.

"Cards are real." He pushed deeper into the warehouse section of the Dungeon. The monster density spiked. The packs weren't just larger; they were mixed with heavier variants. He rounded a corner and found himself facing a massive blockade. Eight Rail Goblins, four Yard Skeletons, and a towering, heavily armored construct wielding a massive industrial hammer. CARGO BRUTE The Goblins and Skeletons swarmed instantly. Matt didn't retreat.

He used Leap Slam, vaulting aggressively forward, clearing a gap between two abandoned crates, and landing directly in the center of the largest cluster of enemies. Cleave. Multistrike. The area-of-effect cleared the swarm, reducing the pressure immediately. He didn't use Blade Projection once. He didn't need it. The ranged threats were minimal, and the dry terrain allowed him to close distances manually. As a result, his Mana regeneration perfectly kept pace with his Leap Slam and Cleave usage.

The bottleneck he had suffered in Gravetide simply didn't exist here. He looked at his nearly full Mana bar.

"That's better." The Cargo Brute swung its massive hammer in a wide, devastating arc. Matt triggered Quick Frame, ducking under the swing. He stepped behind the Brute, triggered Overmuscle, and delivered a punishing Heavy Strike to its exposed chassis, following up with a Cleave. The Brute staggered, recovering faster than Matt anticipated, and landed a heavy backhand blow that clipped Matt's shoulder. LIFE: 650 → 590 The armor absorbed the worst of it, but the hit was solid. The monsters here hit hard.

But as Matt retreated to let his Backwater Wall regenerate the damage, he made an important distinction. The Dungeon wasn't harmless. It just wasn't wasting his time. He crossed a wide, open freight platform. A hundred yards away, he saw another Delver fighting a massive pack of Rail Goblins. It was a young man in light leather armor, dual-wielding short swords. He was completely surrounded, but he wasn't retreating. Matt watched as the man killed the first Goblin. Instantly, his swords accelerated.

He killed a second Goblin, and his attack rhythm sped up again. By the time he reached the third Goblin, his blades were moving with terrifying, almost unnatural speed, carving through the pack in a frantic sequence of strikes. A faint pulse of Mana rippled from the Delver. UNIQUE SKILL DETECTED SWEEPING TEMPO — C Copy Eligible: YES Matt's AR supplied the System description automatically.

SWEEPING TEMPO — C Type: Passive Effect: On Kill: Attack Speed increased by 4% Duration: 6 seconds (Refreshes on new kill) Maximum Stacks: 5 (+20% Attack Speed)"… That's relevant." In a Boss fight without adds, it was completely useless. But in a Dungeon like Iron Junction, where the entire objective was to chain massive packs of fragile enemies together as fast as humanly possible? A constant, rolling +20% Attack Speed buff would turn his Cleave and Multistrike sequence into an absolute meat grinder. Copy.

COPY SUCCESSFUL Sweeping Tempo — C Stored in Archive Matt looked at his active COPY slots. Anchored Step Quick Frame Overmuscle In Iron Junction, there were no water jets, no strong currents, and very few forced knockbacks. Anchored Step was arguably the weakest link in his current loadout. He could swap it for Sweeping Tempo right now. He hesitated.

"No." He was still on his first run. He hadn't seen the Boss route, and he didn't know if the Cargo Brutes had a secondary knockback mechanic he hadn't triggered yet.

"Test first." He left the new Skill safely in his Stored Copies folder. Matt reached a major intersection in the underground rail network. A rusted sign hung from the ceiling. BOSS ROUTE ← FREIGHT STORAGE → A veteran Delver, heavily armored and carrying a massive halberd, walked past Matt and turned right, heading toward the Freight Storage section.

"Boss route's left," Matt said.

"I know," the veteran grunted without breaking stride.

"…Then why are you going right?"

"Density." The veteran disappeared into the dark corridor. Matt stood at the intersection and thought about it. Gus's lecture from yesterday echoed in his head. This place isn't famous because the Dungeon is hard. It's famous because you can kill a lot of things safely. The people here weren't hunting Boss loot. They were farming Cards. And Card drops were a pure numbers game. More monsters meant more rolls of the dice.

"… Right." He wasn't fighting the Boss today anyway. He was testing the Card economy. Matt turned right and followed the veteran into the Freight Storage section. The density in the storage section was absurd. Narrow corridors between massive shipping containers forced the monsters into tight, highly predictable choke points. Matt didn't even need to aim. He just fired Leap Slam down the center of the corridor, landed, and triggered Cleave. Forty minutes later, the strategy paid off.

A Yard Skeleton shattered, leaving a small, translucent Card resting on the concrete. Matt picked it up. THE EMPTY CAR Current Set: 2 / 3"… Two." Yesterday morning, he hadn't even known Divination Cards existed. Now he was one Card away from completing a set. He felt a brief, irrational urge to push harder, to clear the next corridor instantly just to see if the third Card would drop. One more. He forced himself to stop. He checked his Life and Mana.

"Data," Matt reminded himself.

"Not greed." He continued his systematic clear. Ten minutes later, he found a different Card lying in the ash of a slain Cargo Brute. FREIGHT PAID IN FULL Set Size: 6 Reward: Crafting Currency Bundle Current Set: 1 / 6"Still a good name." Matt slipped it into his pouch. He remembered the buy board. Gus was paying $38 for that single Card. He wasn't just collecting sets; he was accumulating cash equivalents. He fought for another hour.

He was approaching the two-hour mark, and his inventory bags were starting to fill with E-rank bases and minor Currency. He was gaining substantial experience, creeping steadily toward Level 17. He engaged what he decided would be his final major pack of the day—two Cargo Brutes and a half-dozen Skeletons. He executed the fight flawlessly, dropping the final Brute with a Heavy Strike. He walked over to the loot pile. Resting on top of a low-grade Mana Stone was a crystalline plate.

THE EMPTY CAR Current Set: 3 / 3 SET COMPLETE Matt stopped.

"…Huh." He had completed an entire set on his very first run. The Card Density of Iron Junction wasn't just a rumor; it was a tangible, easily verifiable fact. He didn't yell Exchange! in the middle of the Dungeon.

"Later." Matt packed the completed set away safely. It was time to leave. He had accomplished every objective on his list. He had tested the density, confirmed the clear speed, and verified the Card drops. He turned around and headed back toward the closest exit route. He passed a small, isolated group of Rail Goblins lingering near a collapsed tunnel. It wasn't a major threat. He didn't need the experience. But it was on the way. Matt raised his sword. Cleave. Multistrike. The Goblins evaporated.

Matt walked past the ash pile, glancing down at the minor loot purely out of habit. He stopped. Resting on the dusty concrete was a Card. But it wasn't the dull, translucent gray of The Empty Car or Freight Paid in Full. It shimmered with a faint, iridescent gold light. Matt crouched down and picked it up. FIVE FORTUNES Divination Card Set Size: 5 Reward: 5 Mana Stones of a Random Rank Current Set: 1 / 5 Matt stared at the Card in his hand.

It was the Card he had seen locked inside the reinforced glass case yesterday. The numbers instantly flooded his brain. An S-rank roll was worth 1. 65 billion dollars. An SS-rank roll was 16. 5 billion. An SSS-rank roll was a theoretical 335 billion dollars. He felt a genuine, physical jolt of adrenaline. Then his logistics training aggressively shut the fantasy down.

"Ninety-six dollars." That was the actual, guaranteed cash value Gus was offering for the Card today. Not a billion. Not a million. Ninety-six dollars.

"I'm selling it." Matt put the Card in his pouch. He walked ten steps down the corridor. He stopped. He thought about the Card sitting in his pouch. 1 / 5 He only needed four more.

"…Definitely selling it," Matt repeated, his voice slightly less convincing. He found a quiet corner near the exit marker, pulled a Portal Scroll, and snapped it before he could think about it any longer. He materialized in the Gate Plaza of the Iron Junction Camp. He didn't brace himself for freezing water. He didn't shiver. He looked down at his Boots. They were covered in a light layer of dry, gray Dungeon dust.

"… Still dry." He walked back to Trailer C-87, relishing the incredibly short post-run downtime. He didn't have to visit the Boot Dryers. He didn't have to wring out his armor. He sat down at his laptop, poured a fresh coffee, and opened his planner. IRON JUNCTION — FIRST RUN Duration — ~2 hours Boss — Not Attempted Pack Density — Excellent Clear Speed — Excellent Forced Hazard Waits — None Mana Pressure — Low Anchored Step — Unused Cards Found — 5 Complete Sets — 1 Socks — Dry"This is better."

Gravetide had paid him to tolerate it. Iron Junction was paying him to do exactly what his build wanted to do anyway. He picked up the completed stack of three Empty Car Cards. He picked up the single Freight Paid in Full Card. He picked up the single Five Fortunes Card. He grabbed his jacket and headed back out into the Camp.

"I'm already going there," Matt said.

"It would be inefficient to make two stops." It was a terrible excuse, but it got him out the door. He walked into Gus's Full Set. Gus was standing behind the counter, organizing a massive binder of Cards. He looked up.

"You're back."

"Apparently."

"Find anything?" Gus asked, leaning on the glass. Matt set the stack of three Empty Car Cards on the counter. Gus raised an eyebrow.

"First run?"

"Yes."

"Three already?"

"Apparently your advertising wasn't completely fraudulent."

"High praise." Gus smirked.

"Well?"

"What?"

"Exchange them." Matt hesitated.

"This one isn't gambling."

"Sure."

"The reward is a Base. A guaranteed Base."

"Matt."

"…Right." Matt picked up the three Cards. He looked at them. He felt incredibly stupid.

"…Exchange." A bright flash of System light engulfed his hands. The Cards dissolved into glowing dust, instantly reforming into a heavy pair of iron gauntlets. NORMAL IRONBOUND GAUNTLETS Required Level: 16 Implicit: Melee Damage +8% Matt checked the AR tag. A clean, Level 16 Ironbound base with an 8% implicit roll was worth roughly $120 on the National Market. He had essentially traded three Cards worth $24 each—a total buy value of $72—for a $120 base.

"…One hundred twenty dollars." Gus stared at him.

"You just redeemed your first Divination set, successfully bypassed the RNG of the entire Dungeon loot table, and that's your reaction?"

"That's a fifty-dollar spread."

"You're painful."

"Cards are procurement," Matt said.

"They're prophecy!"

"Procurement." Gus shook his head, noticing the other Cards Matt was holding. His eyes narrowed.

"…Is that what I think it is?" He pointed at the single gold-tinted Card.

"No." Matt tried to hide it behind the Freight Paid in Full Card.

"Five Fortunes."

"Unfortunately." Matt set it on the counter.

"Ninety-six," Gus offered automatically.

"Yesterday." Gus glanced at the digital buy board hanging behind the register.

"Hundred and one today."

"…Five dollars overnight?"

"Someone's buying." Gus shrugged.

"You selling?" Matt looked at the Card. Current Set: 1 / 5 He remembered his planner policy from yesterday. Sell valuable singles. It was a valuable single. He was literally standing in the shop. He could walk out with a hundred and one dollars right now.

"I'll track the drop rate first." Gus smiled a wide, entirely too knowing smile.

"You're keeping it."

"Temporarily. For data."

"Of course." Gus laughed softly.

"That's how it starts."

"One Card is not gambling," Matt said firmly.

"No." Gus tapped the glass counter.

"It's inventory."

"Exactly." Gus leaned closer.

"Until you have five." Matt didn't have a response for that. He took the Five Fortunes Card, the Freight Paid in Full Card, and the new gauntlets, and left the shop. He returned to the quiet, dry safety of Trailer C-87. He opened his planner and looked at his policy list. CARD POLICY Sell valuable singles. Complete cheap practical sets. Do not gamble. He looked at the policy. He looked at the Five Fortunes Card resting on his desk.

"Still correct." He picked up the Card. He didn't put it in his To Sell pouch. Matt opened a secure storage box on his shelf and tucked the Card inside, placing it safely out of sight.

"For data," Matt reminded the empty trailer. Nobody replied.

"…One Card is not gambling." But floating in his peripheral vision, the System AR tag stubbornly refused to fade. FIVE FORTUNES 1 / 5